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Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Welcome new visitors from Pinterest! I am so happy to have you here and love all the great feedback! If you have any questions about this project, please see the updates at the end of this post or read through the comments section. If you still have any unanswered questions, please feel free to email me and I will get back to you as soon as possible! Thanks again! Sabby

This post may seem a little tardy in its timing, however many of the recipients of these homemade gifts are also readers of my lil’ ol’ blog. Didn’t want to spoil the gift giving.

Neither of the projects were novel techniques. They were inspired by several creative ladies and have been in my “To Try” folder for some time.

First up…

Glass Marble Magnet SetsThese little beauties can be made a variety of ways and the variations are endless. I found the tutorials at Not Martha and DIY Life to be extremely thorough and helpful. The basic idea is pretty simple and you need the following supplies:

pretty patterned paper – thicker is a better

flat-bottomed glass marbles – the ones in the floral department at Michael’s

E-6000 glue

circular paper punch

strong round magnets

Use paper punch to cut out circles of chosen paper. Attach paper circles to marbles using E-600 glue. Let dry for an hour. Attach marbles to magnets with glue. Let dry and enjoy! Of course, you can visit the tutorials at Not Martha and DIY Life for much more comprehensive instructions.

For packaging, I used an idea that I found at Madigan Made. Many of the tutorials I read suggested using metal tins, but I couldn’t find any and thought this idea was pretty frugal and cute.

Attached the finished magnets, placed them into the treat bag and found coordinating card stock to seal the tops of the bags.

Put a staple through the bag and both papers:

And finished them off with a label to cover up the staple.

Next up…

Glass Pendant NecklacesWhen I first came across this idea at Simply Modern Mom, I knew I just had to give this project a try. Again, SO MANY OPTIONS!!! I followed Simply Modern Mom’s tutorial pretty much word for word, down to using wax paper on my work surface. Worked perfectly!

First, I cleaned up my glass tiles.

Then I picked out several different papers that I deemed “wearable”. I couldn’t find “Diamond Glaze” but this “Paper Glaze” worked out fine.

Attached the paper to the tiles using the Paper Glaze:

After drying, I sealed the backs of the pendants with another layer of Paper Glaze. I let that dry overnight before attaching my bails with E-6000. I let the finished pendants sit overnight before moving them.

Here are a few examples of my finished necklaces:

All wrapped up and ready for gifting!

***UPDATE***: (11/26/11) I’ve had a lot a e-mails recently regarding where to purchase glass tiles, bails and ball chain necklaces for making this craft. I bought all of the items through Sun & Moon Craft Kits. They also sell the Diamond Glaze. This store used to be through Etsy, but not anymore. I've changed the link to their new site. The seller is wonderful, the product was perfect and shipping was fast. Hope that helps you out! So, that’s the extent of my crafty gifting this year. Both projects were fairly simple and the recipients loved them all. Thanks again to Not Martha, DIY Life, Madigan Made, and Simply Modern Mom for their awesome inspiration and tutorials!

***UPDATE***: (11/8/12) Just wanted to give you all a better idea of exactly which items I ordered from Sun & Moon Crafts. Let me know if you still have questions! Thanks again for all of the overwhelmingly wonderful feedback on this project. Honestly, I wear my pendants several times a week and think its just such a great gift for others and for yourself!

I wasn't able to find these glass tiles at any local store and that is why I bought them through Sun & Moon Craft Kits via Etsy. The seller is wonderful, the product was perfect and shipping was fast. See the link in the "update" above. Hope this helps! Sabby

I just found you via Pinterest. I have made the glass magnets before, but never thought to package them like you did to send off for gifts. I've never made the glass tile pendants, but it's something on my list! Thanks for the great tutorial!

Just wanted to share that I found a mat full of domino-shaped, clear glass for pendants at...wait for it...Home Depot! A mat of about 50 for $8.95. You just have to clean off the adhesive, and, voila! You have a TON of clear glass pieces waiting to become cool pendants.

Thank you for posting the link to my website! If anyone ever needs any help with a project, you can call or email me also, my contact information is on my website: http://www.sunandmooncraftkits.com XO, Gina

Sorry you had such a bad experience. I've ordered from Sun and Moon a few times and had no issues. Just sharing my experience and just to be clear, I have not received anything from Sun and Moon in return for my review. Have you found any other sources for these products? If so, I'd be happy to share!

Thanks for posting this on Pinterest. Just ordered all my supplies from Sun and Moon. For about $30 I have enough to make all the ladies necklaces, as well as my girl friends. LOVE LOVE LOVE:) Thanks again:)Courtney

Thanks for the great tutorial. Your necklaces turned out beautifully. It looks like you used the aanraku bails from Sun & Moon? -- I just wondered which size yours are, the small, medium, or large? Thanks!

I love this idea and am ready to get started...I found some glass tiles at home depot...they are 1 inch squares but besides the sticky mesh on the back they look to be painted....should i take them back or is there a way to remove the white paint or whatever that is on the back? Thanks!

BEAUTIFUL! Is it really this easy? Even for a non-crafty person like me!? I will give it a try and let you know! Any luck with the Home Depot tiles? I would love to know how to do it more quickly than to wait for the stuff to be shipped.

I couldn't find diamond or paper glaze at Michael's or Joanne's...It's not coming up in the hobby lobby website either...I did end up getting mod podge for glass/wood/paper ect, I tried one tile so far and it seems to work fine. Have to coat the back- I am really loving this project and look forward to giving these out for Christmas this year- (Thank you Sabby for sharing the very nice post)

I absolutely love this post!! I am a jewelery maker, artist, and writer. I do beading, but I usually purchase pendant sorts of elements. I am so stoked to try this, and use my own original artwork for the paper :0)

I am an alphabet photography photographer. I just contacted sun and moon for supplies. I'm gonna try these with my photography. The woman from Sun and Moon was so helpful and their website really helpful with their tutorials. I ordered my supplies and they shipped the same day! Impressed

For photos you need to copy the photo onto paper. I had a friend make me a bowl full of these (just the baubles) I keep them on my coffee table. Have them from all ages of my granchildren. Love Them. She did some as magnets also, put them on a silver tray. The tray has magnets and is on my fridge. Great way to show off my grandkids. :)

I just placed my order & believe me when I say, I cannot wait to receive my items so I can get started on making these beautiful pendants & magnets! I've been searching all over for the tiles, so thanks for the help on finding them! I'm also going do photos...I've been told the key is to print them on heavy card stock. Thanks so much for the idea! Happy crafting!

I love your page. Thank you so much for sharing. Your step by step instructions with pictures make it so easy, even for a beginner like myself. I will be doing both of these projects. Love these ideas and wouldn't have thought of it on my own. Again, thank you so much for sharing. P. S. I plan to use pictures of my grand children for mine as well.

ok, I see where to get the supplies, and you great directions too. What I don't see is 'how much did you charge for them' ? How much do you have in them in money and time and what is your profit margin. They look professional and sweet at the same time. Madre del Cinco

I love this project. I bought rectangle and heart shaped tiles. They are so cute. The hardest thing about this project, to me, is cutting the paper just right. I found that glueing the paper first and then cutting around the shape works best for me.

Very nice. Can't wait to get my items together to give this a try. I already bead jewelry but needed something new. My daughters fiancée just graduated Air Force boot camp. Can't wait to turn some of my pictures of him into necklaces and magnets for her and his family. Thanks so much. I'm inspired again!!!!

The first Monday in December I host a "Girlfriends Christmas Party" at my house. There are usually between 40-45 in attendance. I never let them leave without a "prize" but with that many "girls" I am always on the lookout for economical gifts. Thanks.

soooo many wonderful comments, I cannot wait to see all websites. Since everyone here seems to know so much, does anyone have any suggestions aas to where I might buy unpaintaed Christmas balls? I want to paint scenes on them, and cannot find any.... thanks!!!!

I have three Granddaugthers...always looking for spring break and summer projects..this is one I think they will really enjoy making. Saw this once before and wanted to try it out thankyou for reminding me and taking your time with the directions...I found them very clear and easy to follow. Again thanks!!!

I have just tried my first 3 and not really good at the glueing thing just yet. is there a trick to it? What should the backs look like. Getting ready for some crafts for older grandchildren while camping.

I love those magnets!!!!! I really wanted to make some, but I could only find 3/4 inch magnets. The magnets are slightly bigger than the clear gems. What size magnets do you use? What size gems? Because I think I got the right gems. Thanks!

I love the magnet idea. I have already made over 300 magnets. It gives me something to do and it is so easy. I bought my flat marbles by the bag full at the dollar store and printed off pics with repeated patterns to work with. I got round magnets( 52 for 6 bucks) at wally world and i just used watered down elmers glue(poor womans hodgepodge lol) to stick them together. I have had fun making them and choosing the patterns and colors. Thank you for the great idea.

I have several of these necklaces I've purchased as a fundraiser. I absolutely love them. But my problem is that after I've worn it about 3 times, it gets very sticky and leaves a yucky residue on my skin where I've worn it. The necklaces are starting to look really grungy on the back now.

Thank you for the tutorial. This was the first link I really intend to make that I discovered from my wanderings on pinterest.

I have been gathering my supplies and have had wonderful interaction with Sun and Moon Crafts. Their merchandise is a great quality, their personal attention is top-notch, and their suggestions and answers to my questions have been spot on.

I wholeheartedly recommend them as a great "hand-holding" source for not only the supplies but also the helpful advice for a newbie like myself. Such personal attention is a rarity these days...unexpected but so appreciated.

I just bought the craft set and it came in the mail yesterday! So Happy and I can't wait to make my family some presents!Thank you for your easy tutorial and all of the link ups to the info. Having read all of them I am confident to get to makin' some necklaces:)

The magnets I have made with the children for Christmas gifts to their parents. Homeroom mom here had to come up with something. And I have also made instead of magnets, I glued pushpins on the back. Makes a cute pin for your cork board.

Thank you for this post. Someone had found your blog and pinned it to pinterest; that's how I found it. Hopefully with luck mine will turn out atleast decent because I would like to sell them. I'm a full time college student in my first year so, I dont have a job. I'm fortunate enough to have parents who pay for my gas and food while I'm going to school. Even though I'm grateful, I don't have any money to spend on what I want not what I need. This would be a perfect way for some extra cash.

Hi, I think your blog might be having browser compatibility issues. When I look at your blog in Chrome, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up!Other then that, terrific blog!My web page > Orange County area rug cleaning

My girls and I are hosting a homeschool Christmas Craft Fair where the kids sell items for $5 or less. I thought this would be perfect!! I hope it is as easy as it looks :) I just ordered up a bunch and hope we sell out to all the moms and kids that are shopping that night! My first Pinterest craft item to try!

Can't wait to make the pendants. Just received the supplies today. Got tired of driving from place to place, searching the crafts stores, etc. In the wee hours of Monday I ordered everything I would need (except the ball chains which I purchased during a recent visit to Ft. Benning, GA) from ArtFire Company. Actually they came from a company out of Florida called Those Sweet Sensations. I ordered several different sizes of tiles. Out of about 100, not a single one was broken. I also ordered several glazes, one of which was to use on ink jet prints to keep them from bleeding. They also had jewelry bails and a majority of other craft items. I live near a craft factory outlet, and I was not able to find all these items there. With the price of gas, the shipping costs were less than what I would have spent for fuel.

I tried the packaging for the magnets, but it didn't stay pretty like yours. The magnets and washers are polarized or something because the magnets keep moving off center and going towards eachother so I end up with a giant magnet blob. What size washer did you use?

Thanks so much for sharing. Our 12 year old granddaughter will see this in my Pinterest and I'm sure she'll want to make some for her mom's Christmas birthday. I have everything except the bales! Yes! You rock.

I really like these pendants. I am bound and determined to make these for Christmas but let me share a few mistakes that have been very time consuming and expensive. First of all the tiles from walmart DO NOT WORK!!! I have tryed every solution including goo-gone, terpentine etc, That white backing will not come off no matter what u do. so here I am now with no time to order from sun and moon so i bought kits from Martha Stewart. They are called facets and come in many shapes. I'll let u know how it comes out.

Thank you for posting, I have wondered how it works and you are correct looks way simple. The ball chains if you have a Ben Franklin store they sell the chains for $.99 each in colors. Also ebay you can order a good selection of ribbon necklaces, free shipping that work also.

I want to make some with printer ink is there a special thing I have to do in order to glue it if I use sun and moon glaze? I want to make a MM on a piece of paper from my printer and use that under the glass, was not sure if the ink would run or not. Any help would be great. thank you

My sister made her own version of the magnets for my birthday last year. She created mini drawings of some of childhood memories and attached them in the same manner you mentioned above. A fabulously personal gift!

My sister made her own version of these magnets as a birthday gift for me last year. She drew mini pictures of various childhood memories... One of our pet, etc... It was a fabulously personal gift that it totally useable!

If you want to use inkjet prints, then you'll need to use Glamour Seal which you can find here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/AnnieHowes It's an all-in-one adhesive and seal to prevent your printed images from smearing.

Hi I found you through Pinterest! Thank you for the great tutorial. I have a question...I spoke with a lady at Sun and Moon. She says that the Diamond Glaze never really dries, that it remains sticky. I asked..."sticky enough to pick up sweater fuzz?" She said "Yes". I am wondering if your pendants felt sticky when you sealed the backs with the Diamond Glaze?

OMG! I am hooked! I used the little photos that you sometimes get on a card when you order prints such as from shutterfly. I recently got married and had a bunch of those little pics.Couldn't just throw them away. Then I saw this on Pinterest also, bad but good news! I have made so many "open faced lockets" with this idea.I bought all my supplies from Sun and Moon Crafts web site! Awesome! My Mother in Law cried when I gave her one.

can't wait too try this with some photos my day just posted of family from the 1800s...

as far as removing the white off the home dept tiles, i would suggest also getting a gallon of adhesive remover, the kind that you use when taking up carpet and cleaning the glue up so you can lady tile or hardwood, etc. its non toxic and I've even used it to get deodorant stains out of clothes, remove dried paint from brushes, and take glue off just about anything it shouldn't be on. i recommend mixing up the solution however strong you want it, and letting the tiles soak overnight. if you have any questions on it, my email is krazygirl28@hotmail.com, just make sue it is recognizable from spam if you do email me... thanks for the great tutorial...going to home depot after work tomorrow....

can't wait too try this with some photos my day just posted of family from the 1800s...

as far as removing the white off the home dept tiles, i would suggest also getting a gallon of adhesive remover, the kind that you use when taking up carpet and cleaning the glue up so you can lady tile or hardwood, etc. its non toxic and I've even used it to get deodorant stains out of clothes, remove dried paint from brushes, and take glue off just about anything it shouldn't be on. i recommend mixing up the solution however strong you want it, and letting the tiles soak overnight. if you have any questions on it, my email is krazygirl28@hotmail.com, just make sue it is recognizable from spam if you do email me... thanks for the great tutorial...going to home depot after work tomorrow....

I was wondering if anyone had tried using the marbles that are used to make the magnets as small pendants??? And if so how did they turn out??? This is precious!!! I literally have thousands of the marbles!!! Great great great idea!!!!

I was wondering if anyone had tried using the marbles that are used to make the magnets as small pendants??? And if so how did they turn out??? This is precious!!! I literally have thousands of the marbles!!! Great great great idea!!!!

This is a great idea! I'm trying to make some homemade pieces for my best friend's wedding. I bought fancy-colored diamonds and some other supplies. I think I'm going to take some inspiration from this. =)

Thank you sooooo much for sharing the Sun & Moon craft site. I just placed my first order with them, and am just thrilled to find such wonderful quality and great prices for my small business!! I am positive I will be using them for many years to come!! I also love your tutorial, and can't wait to try my hand at making gorgeous gifts (and merchandise)!

I have tried this but bubbles keep appearing on the front. I use the glue under the cloth and paper and glue the back also. I've used a credit card edge, erase and my fingers, trying to press it down but when it dries there are always bubbles. Is there a trick I can try to prevent this? Thanks.

I don't know if it's just me or if perhaps everyone else experiencing problems with your blog. It appears as if some of the text in your content are running off the screen.Can somebody else please comment and let me know if this is happening to them too?This might be a issue with my web browser because I've had this happen before. Kudos

I tried these with real wild flowers, but they would turn after the first application and loose their color. So I am trying to let them dry naturally and will give it another try. I used Mod Poge (sp) 3 demential (sp) and it worked great, but the second time I got a lot of bubbles. Which was disappointing. Will have to try what your used above.

This particular pendant style also never seems to go out of fashion. It’s the perfect gift to give if you’re trying to impress someone, I like your tutorial, thank you for sharing with us! Premium Gifts

Hi, I'm Sabrina or Sabby, Brini, mommy, whichever you prefer, I respond to it all! So glad to have you visit my little corner of insanity! I'm a busy working mom to two wild little boys, livin' the American "dream" out in the burbs with my wonderfully patient husband. I try to keep my brain busy with DIY projects, learning more about photography, cooking the old fashioned way and enjoying motherhood.